Injury boost for depleted Blades

Sheffield United have received an injury boost ahead of Saturday’s trip to Swindon Town, after Ryan Flynn and Terry Kennedy both played 45 minutes for the club’s U21s.

The pair, sidelined with Achilles and knee injuries respectively, both played one half of United’s Professional Development League match at Leeds United, which ended in a 2-1 defeat despite Jake Wright’s goal.

The pair are still some way off a first-team return but with United relatively short of numbers in central defence and a winger light after selling Jamie Murphy, the sight of Flynn and Kennedy pulling on a Blades shirt again will no doubt please boss Nigel Adkins.

United welcomed back Craig Alcock and Harrison McGahey from injury for Tuesday evening’s trip to Fulham, and still have a number of key players in the Bramall Lane treatment room.

And Adkins said: “We’re trying to get players back, slowly but surely; Craig and Harrison did well at Fulham, Flynny and Terry played for the U21s and then we’ve still got the likes of Bob Harris, Paul Coutts, Flo Cuvelier and John Brayford to come back. So we’ve got strength in depth to come back.

“We made a few changes at Fulham to rest a few players with knocks, that was the first of three long away trips in a week on the back of three tough games so a few will have enjoyed a rest, and a few will have enjoyed some valuable game-time on the pitch.”

United will travel to Swindon without Kieran Wallace and Jose Baxter, who were both sent off at Fulham in their 3-0 Capital One Cup defeat. Adkins absolved Wallace of blame for his red card but branded Baxter’s sending-off a “stupid challenge”.

“He’s got to learn,” Adkins said, “and he’s got to learn quickly. The consequences for that kind of thing are high.”